Dispensing devices



Dec. 26, 1961 w. c. cocNRoD ETAL DISPENSING DEVI CES Filed May 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e e u a o a n a aan com:

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nooaoaana oaounonu non u ucaoonooa ocuuooao una e avenue a oef-cago.; auuaonu na a oanogna u noaa cannone on aovaenoco n INVENToRs William C. Coonrod Jomes C. Shucln` Dec. 26, 1 961 w. c. cooNRoD ETAL 3,014,627

DISPENSING DEVICES Filed May 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS William C. Coonrod JamesV C. Shuon` United States Patent Oce 3,014,627 Patented Dec. 26, 1961 3,014,627 DISPENSING DEVICES William C. Coonrod, 4719 Sandra Lynn, Mesquite, Tex., and James C. Shuart, 1415 Minuet St., Dallas, Tex. Filed May 7, 1959, Ser. No. 811,694 Claims.. (Cl. 226-74) This invention relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to a dispensing device for dispensing predetermined numbers of stamps from a roll of stamps and to strips of stamps adapted to be wound into rolls for use in the dispensing device.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing device for dispensing predetermined numbers of stamps from a strip of stamps which may be wound into a roll.

Still another object is to provide a manually operable dispensing device for dispensing predetermined numbers of stamps from a roll of stamps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device for dispensing predetermined numbers of stamps from a roll of stamps having a manually actuable drive belt engageable with the stamps for moving the strip of stamps through a dispensing aperture of a housing in which the roll is disposed. A further object is to provide a stamp dispensing machine wherein the driving belt is provided with a plurality of uniformly spacedfinger apertures whereby the belt may be moved a preselected distance by engagement of a finger in a finger hole of the belt to move the belt and cause a length of the strip having a predetermined number of stamps to be dispensed through the dispensing aperture.

Another object is to provide a strip of stamps, wound into a roll, having apertures for receiving drive lugs ofa drive belt whereby the drive belt may be actuated to unwind a preselected length of the strip ot the roll and move it exteriorly of the housing through a dispensing aperture. Y

Still another object is to provide a stamp dispensing devicel wherein the strip of stamps being unwound from the roll is held by a guide plate from disengagement with the drive lugs of the drive belt.

A further object is to provide a stamp dispensing device having a continuous drive belt disposed in a housing with its forward portions exposed through a slot of the housing and its rear portions disposed adjacent the guide plate whereby the forward portions of the drive belt may be moved from exteriorly of the case a predetermined distance to cause the rear portions of the belt to move past the guide plate to move a predetermined length of the strip through the dispensing aperture.

Another object is to provide a stamp dispensing device having a plurality of strips of stamps wound into rolls, preselected lengths of each strip being constituted of different preselected numbers of stamps, each strip being dispensable by an individual associated drive belt.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device having a housing providing a face plate having a longitudinal slot through which a finger' may be inserted into a selected linger hole of an endless drive belt mounted for rotation about a roller, the housing having a backing plate for properly positioning the driving belt with respect to the longitudinal slot.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device wherein the housing is provided with a guide plate disposed rearwardly of the backing plate for guiding the movement of the 'rear portions of the endless belt and of the strip of stamps as the strip is unwound from a roll rotatably mounted within the housing rearwardly of the backing plate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stamp dispensing device wherein the belt extends about a tension spring which maintains the belt under suitable tension.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stamp dispensing device wherein the housing is provided with indicia to indicate the finger hole of the drive belt into which the linger must be inserted in order to dispense a preselected number of stamps from the dispensing machine.

A still further object is to provide a stamp dispensing machine which dispenses a strip formed of a plurality of aligned and connected rows of stamps. v

Another object is to provide a strip of stamps .provided with longitudinally spaced apertures adjacent connecting edges of individual stamps for receiving the drive lugs of a drive belt.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the stamp dispensing device embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the stamp dispensing device illustrated in FIGURE' 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan` view of a strip having a single row of longitudinally aligned stamps which are dispensable by means of one of the drive belts of the dispensing device; FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a strip having -a plurality of longitudinally and transversely aligned rows of-stamps which are dispensable by means of the other of the drive belts of the dispensing device; 4and FIGURE 5 is a perspective exploded view, with some parts broken away, of the dispensing device of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the stamp dispensing device 10 includes a case or housing 11 of substantially triangular shape having a base 12, a front wall 13 extending upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge portions of the base and side walls 14 and 15. The upper end of the front wall is provided with an upstanding lip 16 which provides an edge for the tearing of stamps as will -be explained below.

A rear cover 18 for closing the open rear side of the housing 11 is provided with side flanges 19 and 20 adapted to telescope into the rear portions of the case and abut the side walls 14 and 15, respectively, of the housing 11. The rear cover 18 is pivotally connected to the side walls of the housing by means of pivot pins 22 which extend through aligned aperturesin the side ilanges of the rear cover and vthe side walls of the housing. The lower ends of the anges-of the rear cover and the lower edge thereof are rounded to permit pivotal movement of the back cover outwardly and downwardly away from the housing so as to provide access to the interior of the housing. The rear cover is held in its upright closed position by a pair of resilient catches 25, secured to the side walls of the housing in any suitable manner, as by rivets, whose hookv portions extend into slots 26 of the rear cover. The rear cover is also provided with laterally extending tabs 27 which are adapted to abut the rear edges of the'side walls of the housing to' limit inward movement of the rear cover into the housing between the side walls. It will thus be seen that the rear cover may be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 2, about the pivot pins 22 to an open position, the hook portions of the catches resiliently exing laterally outwardly to permit such outward movement of the rear cover, and that the rear cover may be moved in a clockwise direction to its closed position, the hook portions of the latches trst moving outwardly upon engaging the side A backing plate 30 is removably secured to the front wall 13 of the housing by a plurality of screws 32 which extend through suitable apertures -33 of the front wall into threaded bores 34 of the backing plate. The backing' plate is provided with three forward longitudinal surfaces 35, 36 and 37 which are 'spaced from each other and which abut the internal surface of the front wall. The threaded bores are located in the forward surfaces 35 and 36 of the backing plate. The other forward surface 37 of the backing plate is provided by a side piece 38 integral with the backing plate. The backing plate is provided with a wide longitudinal belt recess 40 which is disposed between the forward surfaces 35 and 36 and whose lateral edges are defined by the longitudinal shoulders 41 and 42 of the lbacking strip. The longitudinal finger recess 44 extending rearwardly in the backing plate and opening forwardly into the recess 40 is defined at its lower end by an upwardly facing shoulder 46. The intermediate recess 44 divides the fiat belt-backing surface 48, defining the rear of the wide longitudinal belt recessv into two longitudinal sections. A

A secondnarrow belt -recess 50, parallel to the recess 40 and separated* therefrom by the front surface 36 of the backing -plate and-Whose sideedges .are defined by the shoulders'Sl and 52, is similarly provided with an intermediate longitudinal finger recess 53 whose lower end is defined by an upwardly facing shoulder 54. The recessdividesv the-belt backing surface 55 into two sections.

' An arcuate spring 60 is secured to the lower end of the backing plate by means of a pair of tabs 61 and 62 which abut the rear surface of thel backing platev on opposite sides of the finger recess 44 formed in the backing plate and which are secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by a bonding or adhesive agent'or by screws. The spring is provided with a slot 64 which divides the spring 60 into a wide section 65 and a narrow section 66, the narrow section being engagedv by a narrow drive belt 68 and the wide section being engaged by a wide driving belt 69. The backing plate is provided with upwardly extending brackets 70, 71 and 72, which may be either integral with the backing plate or be secured thereto in any suitable manner, 'as by an adhesive or bonding agent. The brackets are disposed in planes parallel to the upper bracket section 73 of the side piece 38. The brackets and the bracket extension are provided with aligned apertures in which is received a shaft 75. A wide roller 76 is rotatably mounted on the shaft between the brackets 70 and '71, another wide roller 77 is mounted on the shaft between the brackets 71 and 72, and a narrow roller 78 is rotatably mounted on the shaft between the brackets 72 and the bracket extension 38 so that the brackets 71 and 72 act as separating means for the rollers.

A supporting bracket 80 is secured to the base by any suitable means, as by the bolts 81, and has two parallel upstanding arms 8.2 and 83 which are provided with upwardly and rearwardly opening slots 85. The side walls 14 and 15 of the housing'have shaft brackets 86 and 87 securedthereto in any suitable manner, as by rivets 88, and each is provided with an upwardly and rearwardly opening slot 90 which is aligned with the slots of the bracket arms. A wide roller 92 is rotatably mounted between the shaft arm 82 and the shaft bracket 86 byA means of a shaft 93 which is ,removably and rotatably received in the slots 90 .and 85, respectively. The wide roller is aligned with the wide belt backing recess 40 of the backing plate. A similar narrow roller 95 is rotatably and releasably mounted in thehousing by means of its shaft 96 which is receivable in the slots 85 vand 90 of the arm 83 and the bracket 87, respectively. The narrow roller is aligned with the narrow belt recess 51 of the backing plate. p

The rollers 92 and 95 are adapted to receive rolls 97 and 98 of stamps. The roll 97 is formed of a wide strip 99 comprising a plurality of rows of longitudinally and transversely aligned stamps which are severably joined together along their adjacent edges while the roll 9 8 is formed of a single row of longitudinally aligned stamps which are severablyjoined at adjacent edges.

TheA drive belts 68 and 69 extend about the backing p'late. The wide drive-belt 69 contacts the rollers 76 and 77 at the upper end of the backing plate and the wide section 65 of the spring 60 at the lower end of the backing plate so that thev spring holds the belt under proper tension at all times. The narrow drive belt 68 contacts the narrow roller 78 at the upper end of the backing plate and contacts the narrow section 66 of the spring at the lower end of the backing plate so that the narrow driving belt is also held at a proper tension at all times independently of the wide driving belt. 'I'he stamp rollers 92 and 9S are disposed rearwardly of the backing plate so that the strips 99 and 100 may be unwound off the rolls 97 and 98 and contact the rear portions of the drive belts to be moved upwardly by the drive belts as the upper rear portions of the drive belts move upwardly adjacent a guide plate 102. l

The guide plate 102 is provided with forwardly extendingside flanges 103 adapted to extend outwardly of the side piece 38 and of the side of the backing plate Whose upper end provides the bracket 70. The side anges of the guide-plate have lateral forwardly opening slots 104 in which are receivable the ends of the'roller shaft 75 which extend laterally outwardly of the backing plate. The guide plate has a curved forward surface 105 which is provided with longitudinal recesses 106, 107 and 108, in which are received the guide lugs 110 and 112 of the broaddrive belt and the guide lugs 113 of the narrow belt, respectively. The upper portions of lips of the front wall of the housing and of the guide plate. The guide plate is secured by any suitable manner, as by bonding, to the forward triangular extensions 118 of the side flanges of the rear cover which are received in the side recesses 1'20 of the side flanges of the guide plate.

As will be apparent in FIGURE 2 of thev drawing, the guide surface of the guide plate abuts the upper rear portions of the belts and tends to curve them forwardly so that when the strips of stamps are disposed therebetween they are heldiresiliently between the guide plate and the drive belt. The drive belts are formed of. a slightly resilient substance, such as rubber or a suitable plastic.

The strips of stamps 99 and 100 are formed of indi# vidual stamps 120. Longitudinal rows of perforations 121 and transverse rows of perfor-ations 122 divide the strip 99 into the individual stamps and render the stamps easily severable. from one another. The wide strip 99 is thus composed of a plurality of longitudinal rows of stamps with the third and eighth longitudinal rows of Stamps being provided with lug apertures 124 and 125 between eachlODgitudinalIy aligned individual stamps through which the driving lugs and 1.12, respectively, of thewidedrive beltmay protrude to cause the `strip to move with the, wide driving belt `when the strip is disposed between the guide plate and the upper rear portions of the belt as shown inFGURE 2. Thenarrow strip is similarly formed of a single row of stamps having apertures 126 in which are receivable the drive lugs 113 of the narrow driving belt which cause thejstrip 100 to move with the narrow driving'belt when thev strip is positioned between the guide plateand the narrow' belt.

The wide driving belt is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced finger holes 130 spaced conformably to the length of the individual stamps 120. The forward portions of the wide driving belt are disposed in the wide belt recess 40 of the backing plate with the finger holes 130 in alignment with the finger recess 44 and with the longitudinal slot 133 of the front wall 13 of the housing so that when it is desired to move the wide drive belt to dispense stamps from the strip 99 a finger may be inserted into the housing through the slot 133 into one of the finger holes 130 whereby the belt may be moved downwardly. The narrow driving belt is similarly provided with finger holes 135 which are aligned with the finger recess 53 of the backing plate and with the longitudinal slot 136 of the front wall 13 of the housing so that the narrow drive belt may similarly be moved by a finger inserted through the longitudinal slot 136 of the front wall into a selected finger hole 135 of the narrow drive belt. The finger recess 44 and 53 permit the tip of the finger to extend inwardly of the belt to facilitate the engagement of the finger with the belt.

The shoulders 41 and 42 of the backing plate prevent lateral displacement of the wide driving belt while the shoulders 51 and the shoulder 52 of the side piece 38 prevent lateral displacement of the narrow driving belt.

The front wall 13 is provided with indicia, such as the sets 137 and 138 of numerals which .are spaced longitudinally and indicate into which hole of the wide or narrow driving belt the finger must be inserted to cause a predetermined number of stamps to be dispensed from the selected hole when the belt is moved downwardly by the engagement of the finger in such hole to the bottom of the slots 133 or 136 where its motion is stopped by the upwardly facing shoulders 140 or 141, respectively.

In use, the wide strip 99 preferably contains 10 rows of stamps and is wound into the roll 97 which is placed on the roller 92. When the rear cover 18, together with the guide strip which is secured thereto, has been pivoted to an open position, the roller 92 may be easily installed on the bracket 86 and the bracket arm 82 since the slots of the bracket and of the arm 82 open rearwardly and upwardly and is then rotatably supported by its shaft 93 which is then disposed in these slots. The strip 190, which is wound into a roll 98, is similarly disposed on the narrow roller 95 and the assembly of the roller and the roll 98 is then similarly rotatably installed on .the bracket arm 83 and the shaft bracket 87 by means of the shaft 96 of the roller. The free ends of the strips 99 and 100 are then unwound and placed into contact with the rear upper portions of the drive belts so that the drive lugs of the drive belts enter into the drive apertures of the strips with the free end of the strip extending outwardly to the lip 16 of the front wall of the housing.

The rear cover is then pivoted in a clockwise manner, as seen in FIGURE 2, to closed position whereupon the guide plate engages the rear surfaces of the strips and holds them in intimate contact with the rear upper portions of the drive belts. The guide plate also takes up any slack of the belt and places it under slight tension against the resilient force exerted by the spring 60 thereby causing the rear portions of the driving belts to curve inwardly as is clearly shown in FIGURE 2. The strips of stamps unroll o the rolls 97 and 98 to any degree required to effectuate this movement of the belt of the strips which are in intimate contact with the driving belts. The drive lugs of the belts now extend through the apertures of the strips of stamps and into the longitudinal recesses in the forward portions of the guide plate. The free end of each strip is then in alignment with the upper edge of the lip 16 and extends through the transverse dispensing aperture provided between the lips of the guide plate and of the `front wall.

'Ihe stamp dispenser is then operable to dispense any given desired preselected number of stamps. For example, if it should be desired to dispense 67 stamps, a finger is inserted through the slot 133 in the front wall of the housing and into the hole 130 of the wide driving belt aligned with the numeral 6 of the indicia adjacent the slot. The finger is then moved downwardly pulling the front portions of the wide driving belt therewith until downward movement of the finger is stopped by its engagement with the upwardly facing shoulder 140 defining the lower end of the slot. Such movement causes six transverse rows of stamps, a total of sixty stamps, to be dispensed through the dispensing aperture between the lips and which may then be severed from the portions of the strip still in the dispensing machine by pulling upwardly or downwardly and transversely, the lips and 16 serving as edges to facilitate severance of the stamps along one of the transverse rows of perforations 122. A finger is then placed through the longitudinal slot 136 into the hole 135 in the narrow driving belt which is aligned with the numeral 7 of the indicia 138 adjacent the longitudinal slot and the finger, and therefore the narrow driving belt, is moved downwardly until the finger engages the upwardly facing shoulder 141 defining the lower end of the slot. Such downward movement of the front portion of the narrow driving belt causes the rear portions of the belt to move upwardly to dispense seven stamps out of the housing past the lip 16. The operator then tears these stamps off the strip at the lip 115 or the lip 16 and thus has 67 stamps. v

The lugs on the driving belt cause the strips of stamps to move with the belt since the strips are held in engagement with the rear upper portions of the belt at all times due to the action of the guide plate. Should it for some reason be desirable to use a strip having tive transversely aligned rows of stamps instead of ten, such strip of five rows of stamps would be wound in a roll and placed on the roller 92 and would be provided with perforations which would be engageable either by the row of drive lugs 110 or the row of drive lugs 112 of the driving belt 69. In this case, if the operator wished to dispense 25 stamps, then he would insert a finger in the hole of the broad belt which is aligned with the numeral 5 of the indicia 137 and pull downwardly to cause five longitudinal rows of the stamps, each of five stamps wide, to be dispensed through the dispensing aperture.

If desired to make the housing accommodate larger rolls of the strip of stamps, the back cover 18 may be curved rearwardly and outwardly and the shaft bracket 80 may be moved farther back on the base 12 in which case the rolls of greater diameter would b'e accommodated in the housing.

It will be seen that the guide plate causes a substantial length of the strips of stamps to be held in engagement with the driving belt so that a plurality of the drive lugs is at all times engaged in the drive apertures of the strips of stamps so that there is no tendency of any one lug to tear through a stamp. l

It will now be seen that a new and improved dispensing device for dispensing preselected numbers of stamps vof even or odd number has been illustrated and described which includes a drive. belt having drive lugs receivable in apertures of a strip of stamps to cause the strip of stamps to be moved through a discharge aperture out of a housing when the drive belt is moved a predetermined distance.

It will further be seen that the drive belt` is provided with a plurality of finger apertures which are spaced in accordance with the lengths of the individual strip of stamps so that single transverse rows of stamps or single stamps may be dispensed by the movement of the belt a distance corresponding to the spacing between the two centers of the adjacent finger holes ofthe drive belts.

It will further be seen that the dispensing device is provided with a roller about which the belt is looped that the 7 belt is held in suitable tension by a spring disposed within the belt and spaced from the roller.

It will further be seen that a guide plate has been provided which holds the strip of stamps from disengagement with the drive belt during dispensing operations and that such guide plate is provided with longitudinal grooves in which the drive lugs of the drive belts which protrude rearwardly through the apertures of the strip of stamps may be received.

It will also be seen that the guide plate is mounted on a pivotally mounted rear cover whereby when the housing may be opened for the placement of the rolls of stamps in the dispensing machine the guide plate is out of the way and does not hinder such supply operations.

t will further be seen that the stamp dispensing machine permits the dispensing of any preselected number, either even or odd, of stamps, such as trading stamps, by an operator who does not have to go through any arithmetical computations or handling of the roll of stamps.

It will further be seen that the roll of stamps is protected at all times being disposed in the housing and that only the desired number of stamps which are to be dispensed are ever ejected out of the dispensing aperture.

It will further be seen that the dispensing device includes a backing plate for holding the drive belts against undesirable displacements either laterally or rearwardly while permitting longitudinal movement thereof.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A stamp dispensing device comprising: a housing having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal slots; a pair of drive belts each aligned with one of the longitudinal slots of the housing and movably mounted in the housing for movement past its associated longitudinal slot, said belts each being provided with a plurality of finger holes having centers spaced the length of individual stamps to be dispensed by the machine; index means on said housing adjacent said longitudinal slots; means in the housing for rotatably supporting rolls of strips of stamps, each of said belts being engageable with one of said strips of stamps, said belts having means engageable with the strips of stamps for dispensing said strips from said housing upon movement of the belts by a iinger inserted through said slots into selected linger holes of the belts.

2. A stamp dispensing device comprising: a housing having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal slots; a pair of drive belts each aligned with one of the longitudinal slots of the housing and movably mounted in the housing for movement past its associated longitudinal slot, said belts each being provided with a plurality of finger holes having centers spaced the length of individual stamps to be dispensed by the machine; index means on said housing adjacent said longitudinal slots; and means in the housing forrotatably supporting rolls of strips of stamps, each of said belts being engageable with one of said strips of stamps, said belts having means engageable with the strips of stamps for dispensing said strips from said housing upon movement of the belts by a iinger inserted through said slots into selected finger holes of the belts, said means for engaging said strips of stamps comprising: drive lugs projecting outwardly from the drive belt and engageable in apertures ofthe strips of stamps, and a guide plate disposed rearwardly of the drive belts for holding substantial lengths of the strips of stamps in engagement with said drive belts.

3. A stamp dispensing device comprising: a housing having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal slots; a pair ofldrive belts each aligned with one of the longitudinal slots-of the housing and movably mounted in the housing for movement past-its associated longitudinal slot, said belts each being provided with a plurality of linger holes having centers spaced the length of individual stamps to be dispensed by the machine; index means on said housing adjacent said longitudinal slots; means in the housing for rotatably supporting rolls of strips of stamps, each of saidv belts being engageable with one of said strips of stamps, said belts having means engageable with the strips of stamps for dispensing said strips from said housing upon movement of the belts by a finger inserted through said slots into selected finger holes of the belts; and a backing plate disposed within the housing for preventing displacement of the drive belts, said backing plate being provided with longitudinal recesses in which the drive belts are received for guiding movement of the belts, said backing plate being provided with deep longitudinal recesses aligned with the drive belts for receiving the tips of the fingers inserted through the longitudinal slots of the housing and the finger holes of the drive belts.

4. A stamp dispeiising device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; an'backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced belt receiving recesses disposed in alignment with said longitudinal slots of the front wall; an arcuate spring carried Iby said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end of the backing plate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a pai ""f belts disposed about the backing plate and each en ng a roller and the spring whereby said belts are maintained under tension and in engagement with the rollers an has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned beltfwreceiving the housing, said rear cover having a guide plate secured thereto and disposed rearwardly of the backing plate to hold strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts.

5. A stamp dispensing device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; a backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced belt receiving recesses disposed in alignment with said'flongitudinal slots of the front wall; an arcuate spring carried by said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end of the backingplate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a off-belts disposed about the backing plate and each engaging a roller and the spring whereby said belt is maintained under tension and in engagement with the rollers and has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned belt-receiving recess; and a rear cover for the housing, said rear cover having a guide plate secured thereto which is engageable with the upper portions of the belts rearwardly of the backing plate to hold strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts, said spring means having an arcuate section engaged by one belt and another arcuate section engaged by the other drive belt.

6. A stamp dispensing device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; a backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced beit receiving recesses disposed in alignment with said longitudinal slots of the front wali; an arcuate spring carried by said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end cf the backing plate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a pair of belts disposed about the backing plate and each engaging a roller and the spring whereby said belt is maintained unde'r tension and in engagement with the rollers and has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned belt receiving recess; and a rear cover for the housing, said rear cover h-aving'a guide plate secured thereto and disposed rearwardly of the bccking plate to held strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts, said belts being provided with drive lugs which are. receivable in spaced apertures of the strips of stamps.

recess; and a rear cover for 7. A stamp dispensing device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; a backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced belt receiving recesses disposed in alignment with said longitudinal slots of the front wall; an arcuate spring carried by said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end of the backing plate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a pair of belts disposed about the backing plate and each engaging a roller and the spring whereby said belt is maintained under tension and in engagement with the rollers and has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned belt receiving recess; a rear cover for the housing, said rear cover having a guide plate secured thereto and disposed rearwardly of the backing plate to hold strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts; and means in the case rearwardly of the belt for rotatably holding rolls of strips of stamps.

8. A stamp dispensing device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; a backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced belt receiving recesses disposed in alignment with said longitudinal slots of the front wall; an arcuate spring carried by said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end of the backing plate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a pair of belts disposed about the backing plate and each engaging a roller and the spring whereby said belt is maintained under tension and in engagement with a roller and has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned belt receiving recess; and a rea: cover for the housing, said rear cover having a guide plate secured thereto and disposed rearwardly of the backing plate to hold strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts, said belts being provided with drive lugs which are receivable in spaced apertures of the strips of stamps, said guide plate being provided with longitudinal grooves for receiving outer ends of the drive lugs of the belts.

9. A stamp dispensing device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots; a backing plate rigidly secured to the front wall of the housing and having a pair of longitudinal transversely spaced belt receiving recesses dispcsed in alignment with said longitudinal slots of the front wall; tensioning means carried by said backing plate at the lower end thereof; a plurality of rollers mounted at the upper end of the backing plate in alignment with the belt receiving recesses, a pair of belts disposed about the backing plate and each engaging a roller and the tensioning means whereby said belt is maintained under tension and in engagement with the rollers and has forward portions thereof disposed in an aligned belt receiving recess; and a rear cover for the housing, said rear cover having a guide plate secured thereto which is engageable with the upper portions of the belts rearwardly of the backing plate to hold strips of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belts, one of said drive belts being wider than the other to accommodate a wider strip of stamps.

10. A stamp device including: a housing having a base and a front wall provided with a longitudinal slot; a backing plate in said housing having a longitudinal belt receiving recess disposed in alignment with said longitudinal slot of the front wall; spring means carried by said backingrplate at the lower end thereof; a roller mounted at the upper end of the backing plate in alignment with said belt receiving recess; a belt disposed about the backing plate and engaging said roller and said spring means whereby said belt is maintained under tension and in engagement with the roller and has a forward portion thereof disposed in said belt receiving recess; and a guide plate disposed in the housing rearwardly of the backing plate to hold a strip of stamps in engagement with the rear upper portions of the drive belt.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 492,912 Bright Mar. 7, 1893 1,071,455 oehring Aug. 26, 1913 2,108,496 Link Feb. 15, 1938 2,684,746 Bakelaar et al July 27, 1954 2,746,751 Le Baron et al May 22, 1956 2,923,544 Hanson et al. Feb. 2, 1960 

